LITMIR.BIZ

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a true pleasure meeting you, Lorrie Ann Ortega. Welcome back.” He tipped his hat and pulled open one of the glass double doors to the mercantile for her. A little bell made a sweet musical sound.

      He gave her one last wink. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again. Can’t hide in a town this small.”

      The door closed, and she turned and watched through the large storefront windows as he walked away. Once he disappeared from sight, she noticed the flyers in an array of colors taped everywhere, announcing cabins for rent, hunting leases available and horses for sale. Well, she was back.

      A loud squeal filled the air followed by a high-pitched voice. “L.A.? Lorrie Ann. Oh, my, it is you!”

      Lorrie Ann cringed at her old nickname. No one had called her L.A. for years. She found herself ambushed in a tight hug by a tall woman with big blond hair. Knocked off balance, Lorrie Ann grabbed the girl’s arms. A death grip kept her from moving back. The overzealous greeter yelled over her shoulder, “Vickie, hurry out here. L.A. is back in Clear Water!”

      “Katy? Katy Norton?” Relief flooded Lorrie as she greeted one of the few girls she trusted from high school.

      “I didn’t recognize you till you came in. You sure look fancy. I hear you hang with rock stars now. Your aunt says you’re getting married to the drummer of Burn White.” Katy leaned back, but her hands remained clasped around Lorrie’s forearm. “Maggie didn’t say anything about you coming for a visit.”

      “She doesn’t know. How are you?” Lorrie Ann glanced around the grocery store. From the hundred-year-old wooden floor to the meat counter in the back, all appeared the same as it did in her memories. “You work at the mercantile?”

      “I married Rhody. We manage the store for his parents now.”

      “You married Rhody Buchanan?” Lorrie Ann forced her eyebrows back down. “He picked on you in high school.”

      Katy smirked and playfully slapped Lorrie Ann on the shoulder. “Well, I came to find out it was just his way of flirting. We have four boys now.”

      “You and Rhody have four kids...together?” Her forehead went up again.

      Before Katy could answer, Vickie Lawson, the conductor of Lorrie Ann’s high-school nightmare, ambled from the deer-corn aisle.

      “Well, well, well, if it isn’t big-city girl L.A.” Vickie’s stare slowly moved up and down. “Thought you were never coming back to our town.”

      “Honestly, I’m as surprised as you are to find myself here. I came to visit Aunt Maggie for the holidays.” Lorrie Ann’s gaze darted around the store.

      Katy hugged her again. “She’s been waiting for you. We’ve all prayed for you to come home.” She threw her arms wide. “And lookie, you’re here, an answered prayer. You’ll have to tell me all about your exciting adventures in L.A.” Katy sighed.

      Lorrie Ann could hear the expectation of glamorous stories about life in Los Angeles.

      Vickie crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, face pulled tight. “Where’s your boyfriend? Waitin’ in the car? Probably thinks he’s too good for the likes of us.”

      Lorrie Ann drew a deep breath and smiled the smile she used to close deals with in L.A. “No, he’s not here. We broke up.” She turned to Katy with a genuine smile. “Once I get settled, we can have lunch or something.”

      “Ooh, just like in the movies!” Katy tilted her head. “Will you be at church for our Wednesday-night prayer meeting?” She nudged Lorrie Ann’s shoulder. “Looks like you already know Pastor John.”

      A frown replaced the smile when the word pastor sank into Lorrie Ann’s brain. Only one other person had spoken to her. That good-looking cowboy couldn’t have been a...

      “That cowboy is a preacher?” Her jaw dropped, and she closed her eyes. Horror stomped out the shock. She had flirted with a man of God.

      Katy’s smile went wider as her eyes sparkled. “Yes! He seemed to really like you.”

      Vickie gave a loud snort and narrowed her glare. “You’ve always tried taking men who aren’t yours. He will see right through you.”

      Katy punched Vickie’s arm and laughed. “Oh, stop it! Lorrie Ann just got into town. We don’t need to bring up what happened in the past. Anyway, Pastor John has not dated anyone since the horrible accident five years ago. I think it’s about time he left his daughters at home and went out for some fun.”

      “Whatever.” With a shrug, Vickie turned and walked to the back of the store.

      Lorrie Ann’s chin went up. No longer was she the pathetic girl abandoned by her mother. Now she made big deals and managed bands in her daily life. She controlled her destiny. Not some...

      A warm hand on her arm brought her around.

      “Don’t let her get under your skin. She’s always been jealous of you.” Katy waved her hand in the air and lowered her voice. “And since the divorce, she’s just gotten downright bitter. She should have never married Tommy. Poor thing, her life is a mess right now. Let’s get your stuff so you can go home.”

      Katy’s soft gaze brought a knot to Lorrie Ann’s throat. Well, she could relate to a messy life. “I always thought her and Jake were an item. She hated my friendship with him.”

      “Yeah, now they are both back in town and avoiding each other—sad, really.” Katy shook her head. “Come on. Let’s get your things so you can surprise Maggie.”

      Purchases in hand, Lorrie Ann stepped out of the store and spotted the Ford truck still parked outside the mercantile. She groaned. Less than thirty minutes in town, and she had already been flirting with the town pastor right on Main Street. The gossips would have a field day with that tidbit.

      Chapter Two

      “Aunt Maggie? It’s—”

      “Oh, mija, it’s so good to hear from you!” A slight pause came through the line. “Is everything okay?”

      The love and concern in the older woman’s voice wrapped itself around Lorrie Ann’s heart. Eyes closed briefly, she eased a smile across her face.

      “Yeah, I’m good. I’m actually in Clear Water heading to the farm.” As the silence lingered, her stomach knotted.

      “What? Oh, my, Lorrie Ann Ortega! What do you mean you’re in Clear Water? Why are you just now calling me?” Lorrie could almost hear her aunt’s thoughts processing. “Oh, sweetheart, what happened?”

      “Nothing.... I just need a place to rest, get my thoughts together. Is it okay that I came to the farm? I don’t know Mom’s latest location.” Nerves hit her stomach hard. “It’s just for a couple weeks while I figure things out. I can rent one of the cabins.”

      “You hush about paying. This is your home. Your room’s always ready for you.”

      Lorrie pulled in her lips and bit down. The need to cry burned her eyes. She pulled a deep breath through her nose before she dared speak again. “Thank you, Aunt Maggie. I’m at Second Crossing now, so I’ll—”

      A deer darted across the road. Her phone slid to the floorboard as she grabbed the steering wheel with both hands. Hitting the brake, she pulled her car to the side of the road.

      The deer’s hooves slid on the pavement, fighting to regain control. The white of the doe’s eyes flashed, and in a frenzied twist it turned back the way it had come and ran behind her.

      In Lorrie Ann’s rearview mirror, she tracked the animal as it scurried right in front of a yellow Jeep. Eyes wide, Lorrie Ann watched the events as if in slow motion. Horror filled her mind as the deer collided with the grille of the oncoming vehicle. The deer flew over the hood into the windshield, and the Jeep lost control. It

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